The right to speak freely is a pillar of American society, so much so that it is clearly outlined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. We value and protect this right with such determination that when we feel this freedom is restricted or jeopardized, we fight tooth and nail to preserve it.
Freedom of speech becomes more relevant in journalism and the press, knowing that our arduous work as reporters is to keep the powerful accountable, including governmental institutions. The free press is necessary to a just and educated society, and advocating for journalists’ rights to voice such issues becomes a necessary duty.
Unfortunately, in many countries around the world, press freedom is nonexistent and severely disregarded. We realize that safe reporting is more a privilege than a right and that knowledge is a threat rather than a powerful tool. As we witness ceaseless attacks on the press, I cannot help but wonder: how do we prepare aspiring journalists and reporters for the fierceness and hostility directed toward their field? Press freedom can only begin with supporting student journalists by allowing them the independence to seek out stories and by training them to keep those in power accountable.
Most, if not all, of us who pursue a career in journalism got our start in a student publication or newspaper. We acquire hands-on experience in news reporting and understand the responsibility to “seek truth and report it” as the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics states.
As student journalists, we ideally hold ourselves to the same standards as professional journalists. However, this means that student journalists must also receive support and resources from their university administrations to further their mission and outreach beyond their college campuses.
As exaggerated as it may sound, supporting student newspapers and publications is one of the first steps to promote press freedom. The monumental Supreme Court ruling in Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District to uphold student press freedom is, to this day, an impactful moment in journalism history that evidences the power of student journalism.
Reporters at university newspapers are not playing pretend journalists. We are budding, truth-seeking journalists who desire to effect change through our work, both on small and large scales. We can only operate well when we are granted the freedom to report on issues that matter to our community and audience. Unfortunately, this freedom is oftentimes overlooked.
Take what happened to student journalists from Texas A&M’s student newspaper The Battalion, who were asked by their university to “cease printing immediately” with only a day’s notice. After a petition to save The Battalion gathered thousands of signatures, and after the Student Press Law Center publicly criticized the university’s actions, The Battalion is set to continue printing until the end of the semester.
There are countless hours in the newsroom, efforts to gather facts and data and tedious processes that go into sustaining a student newspaper—I know this all too well. It is, therefore, infuriating to watch how “economic factors” or a lack of vision for the value of student press can be roadblocks to our overall work on college campuses. If we uphold freedom of speech and the press as fundamental rights, we cannot ignore student newsrooms that are sometimes silenced when they are not given the proper tools to thrive.
One of the best ways schools and universities can support student newspapers is by granting them the freedom to pursue difficult stories and promote hard conversations in their publications with the necessary resources to learn and ensure ethical, well-researched reporting. Student journalists are the present and future of journalism in America, and we must guarantee them a space for their voices to be heard, not silenced. We must allow them to thrive in spaces that grant them the freedom to challenge the status quo, not limit them in their capability—and obligation—to advocate for truth and justice.
Press freedom starts with supporting the new generation of journalists. It starts with equipping them to denounce inequity and oppression. It starts with recognizing that their voices matter too.
Photo courtesy of Ludovica at Unsplash